“The Natural Stone Institute (NSI) stands for Open, Fair and Free Trade. Yet we also recognize that unique situations may present the need for tariffs and we respect the United State government’s America First stance. Today is not one of those days.

85% of all natural stone consumption in the U.S. is from imported materials. We stand here at the Brazilian Embassy to talk how the Brazilian and U.S. stone industries deeply rely on each other.  Over 15,000 U.S. natural stone businesses and over 200,000 U.S. natural stone jobs are being impacted. Do these companies and employees rely on natural stone imports from Brazil and so many other countries……YES, they are vital.

The U.S. domestic natural stone industry is strong --- most of the great buildings and national monuments here in Washington were built using U.S. natural stones. But the U.S. industry does not produce sufficient quantities, nor varieties, of natural stone to meet all U.S. consumption needs. Again, we rely on each other!

We appreciate the work that the U.S. government has recently done to lower tariff levels for our natural stone partners in Europe. Yet more work is needed there, and we encourage further considerations.

Specific to Brazil, we urge both governments to come to the table and continue discussion. The latest executive order greatly assisted one specific type of natural stone from Brazil -- that being “quartzites” -- one of the most popular countertop materials. The accommodations made by the U.S. government should also be considered for other types of natural stone: granite, marble, travertine and others.

We also applaud the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) for standing here today with us. The impact of natural stone tariffs will have on the cost of housing -- when a shortage of homes exists -- further highlights the impact of this subject.  Our thanks to the NAHB for their support today!

Specific to natural stone imports --- whether the stone comes from Brazil, Italy, Portugal, Greece, India or many other countries -- the natural stone industry is caught in the cross-fire of poltical discussions. Please hear our voice and those of over 15,000 natural stone companies and over 200,000 employees in the U.S. which will be hurt if no further adjustments are made.

Specific to the domestic natural stone industry -- it too will continue to advocate for trade policies which advance the industry.

Please do not allow the natural stone industry to be a political pawn. Let us build on open, fair and free trade. U.S. jobs depend on it

Thank you.”

To read more about the situation on U.S. tariffs on Brazilian natural stone products, visit: https://www.stoneworld.com/articles/94950-partial-exemption-granted-on-brazilian-stone-imports-to-the-us